1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and a device for printing images, and more specifically to a method of and a device for printing images, in which light emitted from a light source is transmitted through an image placed on a printing optical path so as to print the image onto a photographic paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
Index prints formed by arranging respective frames in matrix form and printing them on a scale-down basis have heretofore been known so that an easy check can be made as to which pictures would be photographed on a single developed film (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-122638, for example).
Further, the present applicant has proposed a photographic printer capable of forming photographic prints and the above index prints within the same case to provide an easy check and printing images for the index prints without reducing the performance for processing the photographic prints at high speed.
This type of photographic printer includes a photosensitive material conveying unit which provides index print areas between each case of photographic paper (corresponding to each film, for example) including printed images, and an index print unit for printing/exposing images (index images) for index prints onto the index print areas.
In the photographic printer referred to above, the index images are displayed on a color CRT and the displayed images are focused through a printing lens onto a photosensitive material, thereby printing/exposing the index images thereon.
It is however necessary to additionally provide an index print stage in order to incorporate the index prints into a normal print step. It is difficult to install this index print stage in a location where only a restricted space can be ensured as in the case where films are processed at a shop such as a mini-laboratory or the like in particular.
As a related art, a system has been proposed wherein the index print images (corresponding to images obtained by reading a plurality of images recorded on a film as digital images and arranging them in matrix form) are formed on a liquid crystal panel composed of a plurality of pixels capable of displaying the images in plural tones respectively and the displayed images are printed.